Switzerland

When we arrived in Switzerland (later than we were supposed to because of a 4 1/2 hour delay) we went immediately to Matt's godmother's house.  Her children greeted us warmly and we sat down to brunch. As typical of the region, we had assorted meats and cheeses with croissant and a milky bread.

For dinner we had sausages, salad, kabobs and pasta followed by plum tart with plums from the garden.

We spent the next day touring Genevea scouting out Matt's university, lake Geneva and the new Frankenstein statue. We stopped for a drink in town and decided to end our tour with gelato.

Syrups are very popular in Switzerland to flavor beverages-water, seltzer or even white wine. Matt loves to popular mint flavor and i usually get pomegranate. On that day, i tried violet and quince syrup with water. Both flavors don't seem to be at all popular in the United States so that admittedly I didn't recognize the quince fruit when it was presented to me. I have been exposed to violet before and liked the violet better, but would've preferred less syrup, or maybe more blended.

But the gelato was better! Paralleling my reading choice, I found two atypical spicy flavors which I urge everyone promote in their communities.  GINGER and CINNAMON!  God they were good!

On the third day, I SAW IT. On Matt's birthday I finally saw melted rachlette slide off the halved  cheese wheel. The cheese is traditionally served with potatoes, pearl onions and small pickles with either white wine or hot tea so it doesn't solidify in the stomach. There was Italian meat for an appetizer and the lactose intolerant, but Katie, her friend Nancy and I got a big plate to eat with the cheese.

..... 

After the third day, I stopped taking notes. However, this was not for lack of scrumy food.

We continued to eat great- Italian food. Yeah, I know,  its confusing, especially if you eat pizza in Zermatt. Why was the first restaurant we went to Italian?  Everyone knew I was looking forward to real Swiss food, geez. Just more evidence that everyone loves Italian. And Switzerland IS right next to it. We had pizza with goat cheese, panchetta and Gorgonzola.

On the Friday before we left,  we redeemed one of Matt's best birthday present.  We got the gourmet package at St. Christophe, which included a gourmet meal and a one night stay in the castle.  For the amuse-bouche, a triangle of toast with sun-dried tomato yogurt and a thick potato chip. Then we had salmon trout with fennel and grapefruit in a balsamic reduction, a entree of beef with broad beans and scallion crepes, and dessert of apricot parfait with chewy meringue and sugar work.  Saving the best for last, homemade pear liqueur.

In the morning,  we woke up to breakfast overlooking the medieval courtyard with a backdrop of mountains.
With all that good food, it might be a wonder why my favorite day surrounded a very rustic meal. On Sunday,  we went to Matt's hometown and had a day long meal with his aunt. We had the traditional Rachlette meal, this time all of it. The first course was rice, string beans and grilled meat. Then the cheese course followed by ice cream with black currant jam from the garden. We also had dried sage tea.

Passion fruit lassi

1 tablespoon monkfruit sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 cup passion fruit yogurt
1/2 cup milk

1. Blend and enjoy!

Northern Dark and Stormy

We didn't have rum, only cheap whiskey

1 bottle Reed's Ginger Beer
1.5 ounces whiskey (exept bourbon)

Sex with a Mediterranean Pirate

 Sure you're grimy, thieving and ruthless. But, while the stormy seas rage on, the smell of the salt air and the dirtiness of you make you taste oh so good.

Jigger rum
Jigger blood orange bitters
Top with half oj half pom juice
Garnish with cherry pirced by cocktail sword

Apple-pear cider

1 1/2 apples, separated
2 pears
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups apple juice
1/4 cup rum

1. Puree chunks of 1 apple and pears in blender with apple juice.
2. Strain froth from juice into large saucepan using a cheesecloth and add sugar, ginger and cinnamon.
3. Set on high to boil.
4. After boiling,  simmer for 20 minutes.
5. While the cider simmers, slice 1/2 apple with mandolin on thinest setting.
6. Transfer cider to punch bowl, add apple slices and rum.

Georgian Vodka

This vodka actually came into being because I wanted to combine my Dad's favorite flavors. He was born in Germany and has neven been to Georgia. So why are his favorite flavors the pride of this state?

1 ball jar
1 peach, cut into cubes
5 pecans
1 cinnamon stick
Vodka

1. Put the ingredients in jar, top with vodka, close tightly.
2. Place in fridge, shake twice a day for as many days as you want depending on how intense you want the flavors.
3. Drink and by merry.

4. Make a Georgia crumble with about the same ingerdients.

Tropical Treat!

I just whipped up the smoothie from a recipe I've had since I was a kid. However, I've made some fresh, and some wacky, substitutions.

1 kiwi
1 cup fresh squeezed tangerine juice
2 1/2 tbsp. Banana curd
3 ice cubes

1. Blend all together in blender and serve immediately.

Grapefruit's Bite

The other day on Howcast got a tip about making fresh juice.  Apparently, to get more juice out of your citrus fruit, put it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes after removing it from the fridge.I couldn't believe it! I went the bartending school! Why didn't they teach us this?

But, that resulted in this great twist on a Gin & Ginger. 

1. In a rocks glass add 1 oz. gin and 1 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
2. Fill rest of glass with ginger ale
3. Drop in a squeeze of ginger puree and serve.

Spiced Gin Pucker

I had just been introduced to Gin and Ginger and was serving it up at a party, when my mom wanted a gin and bitter lemon. My boyfriend at the time took me to a international food store we love, I saw the bitter lemon and said I had to get it for my mom. He also got me some great ginger and lemon gummies. Following my taste buds and what we had in stock, I simply combined these ideas.

In a rocks glass combine:

1 oz. Gin
Equal parts Ginger Ale and Bitter Lemon

Sex in the Caribbean

One of my favorite drinks is Sex on the Beach. I called this Sex in the Caribbean because the alcohol in the cabinet was rum. Of course, I am also partial to rum. I have been a pirate for a halloween's,the latest being a Zombie pirate this past halloween, taken a pirate class where the last class was spent drinking grog and singing seashanties, and spent hours building a LEGO pirate ship.


1 ounce golden rum
1.5 ounces orange juice
1.5 ounces cranberry juice

1. In shot glass pour first rum then orange juice, then cranberry juice.
2. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Japan

As I sat and watched a rather boring dance expo I had been dragged to one afternoon, I decided to think up drinks.This is still a daunting task given that I do not have much experience, just a certificate. However, I figured it was still a fun game to play whilst other people were enjoying the scenes in front of me.

Since the budding idea behind this blog is international fusion, I thought I'd try that.There was some sort of Asian routine going on.

1 oz. sake
1/2 oz. light cherry cordial
Top with Jasmine tea
Garnish with a gummi

Apples and Oranges

I created this drink for my mom. She loves Grand Mariner, which has an orange flavor, and apple was a obvious choice to compliment orange flavoring. In addition, her favorite colors are blue and green, so I decided to use Blue Curacao instead.


1 oz. Blue Curaçao
1 oz. Sour Apple Schnapps
2 oz. Sprite to taste
Lemon

1. In a martini glass,pour curaçao and schnapps.
2. Top with sprite until glass is full.
3. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Italy

Interestingly enough, I was at a dance recital when i thought of this. I have not actually tested this recipe, but I think that it makes a lot of sense. What no you think of when you think of Italy? Well, as you can read elsewhere, I spent 5 months in Italy on a archaeological dig and in Rome. I learned about Limoncello and Grappa. Also, I think blood orange juice is much more common in Italy then in the US.

I don't like Grappa because it has a very strong taste, for it is made of grape skins. But, you might like it.

1oz Limoncello
1/2 oz Grappa
2oz. Blood orange juice
Garnished with a amaretto cookie

1. In a champagne flute, pour Limoncello and Grappa.
2. Top with 2 ounces of blood orange juice.
3. Garnish with amaretto cookie.

French Chocolate

1/2 ounce Grand Mariner
1/2 ounce Chambord
1/2 ounce Godiva Chocolate liquor

Garnished with mint leaves

Spiced Orange Fuzz

One thing I was taught in bartending school was how to name drinks. Any spice is "spiced, too simple. Orange is "Navel", as is "Fuzzy Navel." And Peach is "Fuzz." So, i could have called this a variation on a Fuzzy Navel.

1 oz. Blue Curacao
1 oz Peach Schnapps
Fill with Ginger Ale